Reserve now: These South Florida guided tours are winter/spring only
Yes it’s the season. In South Florida, that means lots of tourists and traffic but also lots of opportunities to see how our home is rich with history, culture and natural abundance.
One way to learn more about life here is to take a guided tour. There are several tours that are offered only during the winter and spring, and that means there’s a compressed window of availability: just three or four months to go.
These tours benefit non-profits or are run by local parks departments, and happen only seasonally to avoid the heat and humidity of South Florida summers.
The guides are super-knowledgeable, accommodating and fun to spend a few hours with. Whether your interest is architecture, alligators, birds or people-watching, these tours will show you how there’s more to South Florida than you may have thought. Some are popular and will sell out, so make sure to reserve now, as our current spate of gorgeous weather could soon turn too hot for these entertaining and educational excursions.
History
The Boca Raton
Where: 501 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton
When: 2 p.m., second and fourth Tuesday of each month through May
Cost: $25, plus $11 for valet parking
Info: The tour, offered by the Boca Raton Historical Society, is the best way for non-guests to experience the 200-acre resort on the Intracoastal Waterway. Tourgoers will see the remains of architect Addison Mizner’s original Ritz-Carlton Cloister Inn, which opened in 1926, with its pecky cypress arches and wrought-iron chandeliers. From 1942 to 1944, the U.S. Army bought the club to house and train Air Corps troops during World War II. Subsequent owners redesigned the buildings to suit contemporary tastes, and doors disappeared, fireplaces were hidden, and new halls and towers were built. The historical society has sponsored the tours for decades, but a $200 million renovation that pays homage to Mizner provides a special thrill for history buffs and those curious about the usually off-limits property. Reservations required; go to bocahistory.org/the-boca-raton
Upstairs/Downstairs Tour of Bonnet House
Where: 900 N. Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale
When: Second, third, and fourth Wednesday of each month, January to May, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Cost: $40
Info: Bonnet House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a favorite destination for Fort Lauderdale tourists and beloved venue for locals hosting weddings and public gatherings. The “Upstairs/Downstairs” tour offers an eye-opening view of rooms normally closed to the public. Visitors can peek into the living quarters of the wealthy and quirky former owners of the historic house, the Bartletts, who began construction in 1920 and once slept in the large, airy master bedroom, with their maids, chauffeur and famous guests in adjacent suites. Groups are limited to 10 people to curb potential damage to historic furniture and paintings. Reservations required; go to bonnethouse.org/groups-specialty-tours.
Worth Avenue, Palm Beach
Where: Meet at 256 Worth Ave.
When: Every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. through April
Cost: $25, benefiting The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach
Info: The 75-minute walking tour is led by docent Rick Rose, who details the street’s architecture, historical significance and famous residents. The tony avenue is colorful, spacious and clean, and filled with stores showing the wares of chic designers: Chanel, Lilly Pulitzer, Louis Vuitton and so many more. The avenue has several off-street courtyards for wandering amid Santorini-style white stucco buildings with tiled walkways, Corinthian arches and fountains. The courtyards have stores, offices and cafes, including Cafe Via Flora, 240 Worth Ave., which has soups, salads and sandwiches for lunch. Reservations required for the tour; go to thepalmbeaches.com/listing/historic-walking-tours-of-worth-avenue.
Historic Fort Lauderdale
Where: 301 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale
When: 10 a.m. daily
Cost: $15
Info: This is a two-hour walking tour of historic Fort Lauderdale and the New River, sponsored by History Fort Lauderdale. The tour begins at House on the River, a historic home that is now a restaurant, and explores Broward County’s oldest buildings, including the New River Inn (1905), the King-Cromartie House (1907) and the Bryan/Shepard building (1913-14). The guide will also show the site of the city’s first department store, Burdine’s, which opened in 1947 and now houses the Broward County Governmental Center. Reservations required; go to historyfortlauderdale.org.
Nature
Green Cay Nature Center & Wetlands
Where: 12800 Hagen Ranch Road, Boynton Beach
When: Wednesdays to Saturdays, times vary
Cost: Free, no reservations required, but call 561-966-7000 to check schedule.
Info: Palm Beach County’s Parks & Recreation Department offers guided half-mile tours of Green Cay’s boardwalk, which is surrounded by a marsh and tree islands filled with colorful birds, not to mention dragonflies, lizards and alligators. Photographers in the Facebook group Wakodahatchee Wetlands and Green Cay Nature Preserve have posted astonishing portraits of red-shouldered hawks, Eastern screech owls, green herons, spoonbills and multicolored glossy ibises. According to certified Florida Master Naturalist Bruce Pickholtz: “This is the one place you absolutely cannot miss if you’re interested in birding in Palm Beach.” Go to discover.pbcgov.org/parks/pages/greencay.aspx.
Tall Cypress Natural Area
Where: 3700 Turtle Run Boulevard, Coral Springs
When: first Sunday of the month, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., except for July and August
Cost: Free
Info: The Broward County Parks Department calls Tall Cypress an “urban forest” filled with cypress trees, slash pines, red maples and striking purple beautyberry plants. Here’s how Coral Springs birder Bruce Pickholtz, who leads this tour, describes it: “My personal favorite birding location in Broward County. Tall Cypress is a hidden gem amidst heavily developed Coral Springs. Its 68 acres is comprised of several different habitats, including hardwood hammock, cypress swamp and pine flatwoods, that attract a wide variety of wild birds. More than 170 species have been observed in and around Tall Cypress.” Reservations required; go to broward.org/Parks/Pages/Event.aspx?event=2298.
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
Where: 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach
When: Group tours of the gardens, minimum 15 people, are available Tuesdays through Fridays through May 14.
Cost: Museum admission of $16 for adults, $14 for seniors
Info: In the early 1900s, a small group of young Japanese men arrived in what is now northern Boca Raton to farm pineapples, calling their agricultural colony Yamato. By the 1920s, unable to successfully grow their crops, most returned to Japan. George Sukeji Morikami remained, and in the 1970s, he donated his land to Palm Beach County. Now, the Morikami Museum’s Japanese Gardens have 25 stops where visitors can see waterfalls, Buddhist statues, a lake filled with koi, meditation terraces, bonsai collections and gravestones of Morikami and two founders of the Yamato colony. As the garden curator describes in the museum’s introductory film, the site is designed to make you “feel like your cares have disappeared.” Reservations required; go to morikami.org/tours.
Southern Palm Beach Birding
Where: Wakodahatchee Wetlands, 13270 Jog Road, Delray Beach
When: 7:30 a.m., Jan. 20 and March 9
Cost: Free
Info: Guide Nancy Freedman leads this full-day trip to Wakodahatchee, where the boardwalk takes visitors over water and islands that attract an assortment of birds, along with turtles, alligators, marsh rabbits and frogs. Birders recording their finds on Ebird.org have observed black-bellied whistling ducks, anhingas, double-crested cormorants and great blue herons over the past few days. The trip, which is sponsored by the Tropical Audubon Society, moves on to Peaceful Waters Sanctuary in Wellington. Reservations required; go to support.tropicalaudubon.org/a/southern-palm-beach-birding-3.
Southern Broward Birding
Where: Markham Park’s Meadow Nature Trail, 16001 S.R. 84, Sunrise
When: 8 a.m., April 6
Cost: Free
Info: Guides John Hutchison and Bruce Pickholtz will lead this full-day trip to birding locations in southern Broward County, sponsored by the Tropical Audubon Society. The Markham Park trail takes visitors out to a levee for a view of the Everglades and an assortment of birds, reptiles and insects. Pickholtz said the guides will be spontaneous in their decision where else to take the group that day: “This gives us the flexibility to adjust the itinerary based on recent reports, rare bird sightings, etc.” Reservations required; go to support.tropicalaudubon.org/a/southern-broward-birding-1.
